ENERGY STORAGE CHARGING FROM AN ADJUSTABLE POWER SOURCE

• US 20150002082A1
• Filed: 04/30/2012
• Published: 01/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Wozniak, John A., Sawyers, Thomas P., Matthews, Christopher K., Lioyd, Jon G.
• Application Number:
  US14/372,097
• Publication Number:
  US 20150002082A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/107
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4271 Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0049 Detection of fully charged condition
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007 Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

An energy storage device includes an integrated fuel gauge that is operatively connected to the energy storage device. The fuel gauge evaluates an operating parameter of the energy storage device and dynamically determines a state of charge. A charging component is coupled to the energy storage device with a single communication line. The fuel gauge communicates a communication including a requested operating parameter to the charging component with the single communication line according to a predetermined charge profile based on the state of charge determined.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

an energy storage unit comprising;

an energy storage device;

a fuel gauge operatively connected to the energy storage device that evaluates an operating parameter of the energy storage device and dynamically determines a state of charge of the energy storage device; and

a charging component coupled to the energy storage unit with a communication line;

the fuel gauge communicates a communication comprising a requested operating parameter to the charging component with the communication line according to a predetermined charge profile based on the state of charge determined.

2. The system of claim 1, the charging component comprising an adjustable power source that is controlled by the communication on the communication line from the fuel gauge.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the charging component is operatively connected to the fuel gauge with the communication line that comprises one communication line and one connection to the fuel gauge and the charging control component.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the fuel gauge stores a requested charge current and a requested charge voltage in registers according to the predetermined charge profile based on the state of charge determined, and continually updates the requested charge current or the requested charge voltage throughout a charging cycle of the energy storage device.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the charging control component receives the communication and generates a comparison of a sensed current with the communication from the fuel gauge including the requested charge current, and adjusts a current output based on the comparison.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the fuel gauge communicates the communication that comprises a voltage for each of a plurality of cells of the energy storage device, a total voltage, and a sensed charge current or a sensed discharge current, to the charging component during the charging cycle of the energy storage device with the communication line that comprises a single communication line.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the fuel gauge is integrated with the energy storage device in the energy storage unit that operates as a removable rechargeable energy source.

8. A method comprising:

monitoring, via a fuel gauge that is operatively connected to an energy storage device to form an energy storage unit, a state of charge of the energy storage device;

determining via the fuel gauge an operating parameter of the energy storage device and a requested operating parameter for the energy storage device according to a predetermined charge profile based on the state of charge; and

communicating a request comprising the requested operating parameter via a single communication line for an adjustable power source to adjust a charge current to charge the energy storage device with a charging cycle.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

generating a comparison of the operating parameter with the state of charge of the energy storage device.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

generating an adjusting signal that is used to modify an output current or voltage of the adjustable power source that charges the energy storage device at a different current during the charging cycle of the energy storage device than the charge current received by the energy storage device when the requested operating parameter is determined.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the requested operating parameter includes a requested charge current or a requested charge voltage that is updated by the fuel gauge at periodic intervals during the charging cycle.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

in response to the adjustable power source powering an additional load from the energy storage device, summing the request, which comprises a requested current, with a current that is delivered to the additional load.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the communicating the request comprising the requested operating parameter via the single communication line to the adjustable power source comprises communicating the request via the single communication line including one connection between the fuel gauge and the adjustable power source.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining the state of charge and the operating parameter for each cell of a plurality of cells of the energy storage device with the fuel gauge being operatively connected to each of the plurality of cells.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

selecting a cell from the plurality of cells to be charged and communicating a requested charge signal for the cell that is selected to the adjustable power source; and

blocking charge signals for other cells of the plurality of cells other than the cell selected.